


gas leaks in London

by DarkStreet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aurors, Azkaban, Gen, Hogwarts, Implied Child Abuse, Legilimency, Metamorphmagus, Occlumency, Original Character-centric, Outsiders POV, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Pre-Harry Potter Canon, Pre-Hogwarts, Unspeakables, Unspeakables run the ministry, mental arts, mind magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 09:18:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13431669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkStreet/pseuds/DarkStreet
Summary: Gas leak. Gas leak. Faulty pipe. Gas leak.Unspeakable Lorene Abrams came a long way from the child running on asphalt with bare feet - even if she was stuck on obliviation duty.“This is a terrible idea, I could kill you.”“But you won’t,” he smiled.“How do you know that?!”“I trust you.”She knew the mind arts were illegal, forbidden. She knew. She opened the book.“Who taught you?!” he barked.“I think a better question would be why you’re using an illegal art against a student and a minor no less.”He asked again.“I taught myself, professor.”“Legimens!”She had blocked him again.“You say you are self-taught?”She nodded.“Then I daresay you may be a prodigy in an illegal practice





	gas leaks in London

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is, surprisingly enough, my first HP fic and definitely my first ever oc centric fic. Please enjoy :)

She despised her job. Correction, she adored her job, she despised her current duties. 

Gas leak. Gas leak. Faulty pipe. Gas leak. 

When she signed her employment, this is absolutely _not_ included in the fine print. But the Millennium Bridge had just been destroyed and the surrounding areas were feeling the after effects. Okay, so, she couldn’t argue with propriety and she became stuck concealing the true events of the Death Eater’s attacks on the city proper. 

Concealing wasn’t quite the right word. It was more like suppression, she was suppressing the memories of the muggles unfortunate enough to bear witness to the atrocities of the continuation of the Second Wizarding War – or was it a war unto itself? No, suppression wasn’t correct either. She was targeting the memories of the attacks and rewriting them. She didn’t really mind it, she excelled at that sort of work. It was easy work if not tedious. 

She hadn’t minded the first position awarded to her during wartime and wanted to be insulted that she had been reassigned. She had been doing what the so called Order of the Phoenix couldn’t and what the Ministry said they wouldn’t. Her biggest problem was that she felt useless and though her boss knew it, there was nothing else to be done. She had finished her project and there was no time to continue it at that point. 

Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t rather be doing almost anything else. 

But she was an Unspeakable and none of that mattered. 

**……….**

Lorene Abrams was raised in a traditionally Catholic family and when she received her letter she was _“shone the light”_ because _“magic is the Devil’s work”._ It was stereotypical and you can’t beat the magic out of a witch. 

The next letter came through the cover at night, slipped through the crack of her open window. She read it by flashlight then tucked it into the waistband of her pajama pants and crept down the stairs. Years later she can still remember vividly how the asphalt tore at her feet and the fear and elation and hope and terror that coursed through her as she ran as fast as she possibly could away from the house that had never been a home. Later, with a pencil nicked from a stand she scribbled her reply on the back of her letter and hoped. 

The Professor who had been sent to retrieve her, seemed to understand her fear – eventually as she subtly scavenged his mind she would know the truth. He took her to a grimy pub and set her up with a room before introducing her to a whole new world. 

It was the first time she fell in love. 

When the time came she was sorted into Ravenclaw and she spent the time reading and observing not bothering to assimilate with her peers. And just like that, she disappeared – at least until her third year. 

She had a wonderful year. Up to that point, it had been the best year of her life. However, as the term came to a close she began to fear, nightmares that plagued her sleep led to drawing her curtains and reading and practicing until she exhausted herself. It had lasted through final exams and until three days before the conclusion of the term. 

Snape – a man who acted like more of her Head of House than her actual Head of House – took her up to the Headmaster’s office and sat her in the plush chair. 

The Headmaster met her eyes directly for a moment that caused a sharp pain to shoot through her head and she couldn’t hide her wince. The Headmaster frowned but it was gone so quickly it could have been her imagination. 

Apparently, there were places for children with her circumstances to go during the off periods of school. 

That was the summer she was sent to live with the warm Garcia family. 

That was the summer that she met the boy – now man – that was the other half of her soul. 

The Garcia family consisted of Mama and Madre Garcia and their two children Lucas and,the youngest, Tara. The first time she stepped into their home she knew she was safe. 

Madre was a muggleborn and Mama was a pureblood – she had been disowned for marrying a muggleborn. The house it’s self was in muggle London and very little showed it to be anything more than a muggle household as they had muggle amenities and magic use was sparse – because _“if you want to be fat and lazy go ahead but do it on your own time in your own house”_ . 

It was wonderful. 

She loved the house. 

And she loved the family. 

Her second year was not riding alone on the train and realizing that she wasn’t alone in the world, not anymore. The first part had been a bit of a surprise. She had expected Lucas to ignore her, forget her, like everyone else. Why should he have to babysit the girl who can’t go home? 

She should have known better. 

That year, she quietly faded in and out of her housemate’s perception. She had always been good at making herself forgotten. Later in life she would decide it was a mixture of latent magic and her upbringing. 

Lucas was the first person to ever call her on it and the only person she couldn’t hide from. Though he was a Gryffindor and year above her, he made a point to seek her out as often as he could. He would find her tucked into alcoves and hidden behind the shelves in the less visited sections of the library. 

Over the summer and into her third year and his fourth, she grew closer to Lucas. It started with him setting himself near her and working on homework or reading or, occasionally, sleeping. Conversation was slow but he had been patient but by the time they were to return home, they could talk for hours. 

While the previous year had been slow, fourth year brought forth changes that would lead her towards her future. 

Tara began school that year and both she and Lucas checked up on her regularly despite her being sorted into Hufflepuff. 

But Lorene had yet to forget the incident with the Headmaster years prior and had vowed to find answers. 

And she found them. 

It was entirely by accident that she came across a book that would develop her skillset and lead her to where she was currently. It was a thin tome, leather bound, and coated in a thick layer of dust. The title: _Mind Magicks._ She may have been a muggleborn, but even she knew mind magics were illegal, forbidden. 

She _devoured_ the book that had no place being where children could access it – that being said she had been deeper into the library than any of her classmates would ever be found. 

She practiced occlumency in the darkness of her dorm until her memories were stored in the details of home and her defenses were hot enough to scorch. 

By the end of the year she was close to mastering the art but after that, there was nothing. She couldn’t truly progress until she had access to another mind. 

All it had taken was Lucas walking in to her room as she reread the book she had pilfered from the library. He had asked and she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. And when she told him, he offered himself. 

_“I trust you,”_ he had said. _“And I have nothing you can’t see.”_

She understood the theory but _Mind Magicks_ only covered occlumency in depth and she needed more information on legilimency. 

A woman she would only ever know as Hepta was her salvation. 

Several months into her fifth year, she was sequestered in the library when she spotted her out of the corner of her eye. Hogwarts supposedly had the greatest library in Wizarding Britain and during her school days it hadn’t been unusual for scholars, aurors, potioneers, and other individuals to wander about the library in a search for knowledge. So, needless to say the woman walked by and Lorene paid her no mind. 

Until, she saw her again. 

The woman approached where she sat and slipped a book onto her lap and spoke offhandedly as she left. _“Let this lead you.”_

And lead her it did. 

Lucas was as visibly excited as she was inside. He had even found a room. They weren’t sure what it was actually called – a room like that _definitely_ had a name – but they referenced it as the Room of Convenience. One of Lucas’ housemates found it when he was fooling around with a girl and Lucas gained the location by being purposefully vague – if the guy assumed anything that was on him. 

The room, apparently, was very similar to the Gryffindor common rooms. There were several plush chairs and large fireplace. It was a welcoming place. It was an ironic place. 

She tried to talk him out of it, of course. It was dangerous and she could literally cripple him for life. 

_“This is a terrible idea, I could kill you.”_

_“But you won’t,”_ he smiled. 

_“How do you know that?!”_

_“I trust you.”_

_“I trust you.”_

The first time she looked into his eyes and breathed the spell, she was consumed by a feeling of _right._

She knew mind magics were illegal. She knew. She knew that she would be locked in Azkaban for the rest of her life if they were ever caught. But, as she felt the magic coat her eyes and open her mind, she fell wholly and deeply in love. 

She hadn’t known she was crying until Lucas reached over and brushed away her tears. 

_“I told you so.”_

She still spent nights occluding and reading and as she flipped through the untitled book a phrase stuck out: surface reading. 

It was possible for one to cast legemins silently and subtly enough that any surface thoughts could be read – it didn’t even require direct eye contact. 

She immediately began practicing whenever she was with Lucas – it got to a point that she only had to glance at his eyes to be successful. Though, silently she had feared it was her familiarity with his mind and not her growth that contributed to her success. 

So, she began to teach him and by the end of the year he could occlude and they had never been closer – even if Lucas’ housemates thought they were together. 

It was wonderful, but she needed more. 

That summer she could be found in a muggle library reading about the psyche. 

Sixth year was Lucas’ final year at Hogwarts and she feared for several reasons. One being, the only person she had ever truly connected with would be gone and she would be _alone_ and two, how could she practice? 

The beginning of that year, she was called – as were her housemates – to Flitwick’s office for career counseling. 

_“You received OWLs in all the classes you tested for. There are many professions you can work towards.”_

There weren’t many positions for someone like her. There was only one – but she didn’t know that, not yet. 

_“I’ll think about it.”_ Was all she had said and they sat in silence until he dismissed her. 

It was Lucas’ idea. 

_“You’re searching for something. At least, this might give you a head start.”_

So, with a gleam in her eyes and a lie on her lips, she had entered Snape’s office and she left with a pass to the Restricted Section – the man may have been foul but he cared for her and she knew how to play the game. 

When people thought mind magics, they thought of the imperious curse. But mind magics were so much _more_ than control. 

She began to exploit Hogwart’s inconsistences regarding the records of the library – if a book wasn’t checked out, it was still shelved. 

Curled in a chair in the candle lit room of the Restricted Section, Lorene _read_. 

She learned more from the hours she had spent researching than she had in the entirety of her Hogwarts career. 

She continued to practice with Lucas in the Room but her surface reading expanded. It seemed that even without willing it to occur, if she even accidently met someone’s eye she could hear them. 

She didn’t tell Lucas. 

He was a worrier and he should concentrate more on his NEWTS – though, she knew he would do well. 

She raised her shields to full force and blocked them out. 

She had it under control. 

She had it under control. 

Lucas received the letter even before he received his NEWTS scores. It had come at breakfast and he had raced over and made himself a space next to her at the Ravenclaw table. 

When she read the contents, she was so proud she could have cried – she might have, just a little. 

Lucas was accepted into Advance Track Auror Training. ATAT had been set into effect during the war and only the best were accepted. He hadn’t applied. 

A week before end of term Snape escorted her to the Headmaster's office. 

This is where she had discovered that Snape had unexpectedly strong shields. 

What was he hiding? 

She wanted nothing more than to tear his shields to shreds. 

She couldn’t. 

She couldn’t. 

She could. Easy. But she wouldn’t. 

_“We have found another family to take you for the summer.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

The Headmaster looked taken aback. 

_“We had assumed that since young Garcia is graduating that it would be best for you to move elsewhere.”_

_“You assumed incorrectly,”_ it wasn’t common for her to show a spine – though that was more because she only spoke to Lucas and Tara. 

_“Ms. Abrams,”_ the Headmaster said before he looked into her eyes. She knew he couldn’t get in. She may never had her skills tested by someone of his power, but something told her that he couldn’t. So, she showed him what she wanted him to see. 

She showed him memories of the Garcia house. Tara playing on the rug, Mama and Madre embracing in the kitchen, Lucas smiling at studying, but more specifically she showed him the warmth. 

But she was angry, so angry. 

So, she drew him further in and watched him burn – all with a straight face. 

The headmaster had looked frozen in his place, his eyes wide like he couldn’t look away. He couldn’t, she had him trapped – it was a trick she learned in the book the strange woman had given her. 

Draw in the intruder, make them believe they’ve won, and then bombard them with emotion. It didn’t matter what emotion – though negative ones worked the best – all that mattered was that they were stuck until released. 

Lorene had given him years of nightmares. Of her biological family and of the first time he intruded into her mind. 

She could see Snape out of the corner of her eye, just watching. It had only been about half a minute when Snape gripped her shoulder. 

She released the Headmaster careful not to let anything show on her face. 

The old man took several deep breaths. 

_“Ms. Abrams, I was just looking for the best for you. Please forgive me for this oversight. Severus?”_

She was escorted from the room and across the castle to his office. 

Snape closed the door behind him before he whipped around wand drawn, _“Legimens.”_

As occluding had become something of a second nature, Snape was instantly blocked. 

_“Who taught you?!”_ he barked. 

_“I think a better question would be why you’re using an illegal art against a student and a minor no less.”_

He asked again. 

_“I taught myself,_ professor.” 

_“Legimens!”_

She blocked him again. 

_“You’re only tiring yourself out.”_

_“Does that Garcia boy know about this?”_

She lied easily, _“Of course not. You and I both know the mind arts are forbidden.”_

_“Not many would consider it an art.”_

_“Not many Headmasters try to violate their students.”_

He blanched at her word choice. 

_“You say you are self-taught?”_

She had nodded. 

_“Then I daresay you may be a prodigy in an illegal practice.”_

She was taken aback. She had always known she was decent but this? 

She gave him an incredulous look. 

_“Do you think anyone who just happened to find a book on mind arts could not only occlude and deflect but_ ensnare _a_ master _?”_

Their conversation had ended with Snape revoking her access to the Restricted Section – little did he know that she had long since removed the books she required and stashed them in the Room of Convenience. 

That summer Lucas spent his days in training and his nights with his family – she had basked his presence until the term began. 

Lucas went with her to the train and had hugged her tightly before disappearing back into the crowd – she knew he was crying, he was a crier. 

Tara lead her onto the train and forced her to sit in a compartment with her friends. 

_“Lucas told me to take care of you,”_ was her explanation. 

Tara had grown into a responsible young lady and Lorene was proud. 

At first opportunity she sequestered herself in the Room. 

Lorene Abram’s Seventh Year could have been the last year of her life. 

She fought and gained a semblance of control over her erratic surface reading but continued to occlude. 

As her paranoia grew, so did her skill. 

If the Headmaster was a master of the arts, who else was? Did any of her peers have the ability? 

She knew that her fear was irrational and if Lucas was there he would have grounded her. But as it was, he was not and she fell quickly towards the deep end. 

The mind arts didn’t just including attacking and defending – those were only the basics. With enough skill, one could subtly influence thought or make people forget. One could even rewrite an identity if they had the time and were so inclined. 

As it was, she made her classmates and teachers – with the exclusion of Snape – ignore her presence and redirect their thoughts when they noticed her. 

She was fine. 

She was fine. 

Until she wasn’t. 

It was in the middle of the Great Hall that she felt she lost her mind – not that anyone noticed. 

It had been building and building and then it stopped. 

She was fine. 

And then the dam burst. 

She woke blindfolded and chained to a firm bed. 

And she couldn’t feel her magic. 

She couldn’t feel her magic. 

She had been so terrified she couldn’t have moved if she was free. 

A door opened a period of time after she had woken up and the side of her bed dipped. 

_“I’m so sorry, Lorene,”_ Lucas. His hand brushed through her hair. 

_“Why didn’t you tell me it had gotten this bad?_ ” 

_“…where am I?”_ her mouth felt parched when she spoke. 

_“A ministry holding facility. I was only able to see you because Mama listed me as your next of kin.”_

_“What are they going to do to me?”_

_“Their talking Azkaban, but we’re waiting on a verdict.”_

_“Trial?”_

She could’ve imagined him shaking his head, _“Not likely, the Headmaster himself is pushing for Azkaban.”_

She hadn’t expected anything less. 

The door opened again and Lucas stood. 

Her arms and legs were freed before cold hands undid her blindfold. 

Above her stood the woman from the library. 

_“Do you want to go to Azkaban?”_ she asked bluntly. 

_“What?”_

_“Do you want to go to Azkaban?”_

_“No!”_ she exclaimed sitting up. 

She noted Lucas hovering on the side opposite the woman looking frazzled. 

_“Then come with me.”_

Lorene slid off the bed confused but compliant. 

_“But what about –“_

_“He’ll see you at home tonight.”_

Lucas rounded the bed and pressed a kiss to her temple then looked at the woman who nodded. 

She followed the woman to what she assumed was an apparation point and ended up in what appeared to be an office lit with muggle lighting. 

_“Where are we?”_

The place was bustling with witches and wizards of various ages doing Merlin knows what and using a mixture of muggle and wizard technology. 

_“The official headquarters of the Unspeakables.”_

_“But we’re not in the Ministry?”_ The question had been an obvious one. 

The woman had shaken her head, _“Those who work as Unspeakables for the Ministry, are not true Unspeakables. What we do is infinitely more pivotal.”_

The woman made her way to a room towards the other side of the room and – for this she was grateful – no one spared her more than a glance even despite the prison garb someone dressed her with. 

_“And what is it you do?”_

The woman had sat behind a desk that made her look all important – not that she wasn’t. 

_“I believe you mean what do_ we _do,”_ the woman smiled for the first time. 

_“Welcome to the Unspeakables, you may refer to me as Hepta.”_

_“Why would you have any interest in_ me _?”_ she asked after a moment. 

_“Even with your magic restrained, you were able to superficially influence your guards. Mind magic is a delicate art and very few can even attempt it much less Master it before their majority.”_

_“What? Either I work for you or I go to Azkaban? That’s an easy choice.”_

_“We’re not blackmailing you, Ms. Abrams. If you do not accept our offer, then we would simply destroy any evidence that you were ever convicted and arrested. Someone with your talents shouldn’t waste away in Azkaban.”_

_“But if I accept?”_

_“If you accept, then public record will show you perished while incarcerated.”_

_“What about my family?”_

_“Your family may be written in, so to speak, if you so choose.”_

Lorene had grinned, _“So what is it that we do here?”_

And Hepta told her and she knew that was where she was supposed to be. 

She was paired with a woman two years her senior named Iris – here she learned that all names were codes and hers was Nameless – who taught her the meaning of control and how to keep it from consuming her. While not a Master of mind arts, Iris’ abilities required her to have perfect control of herself. 

Lorene earned her name the day a violent prisoner was liberated from the Ministry holding facility and transferred to the cells at Headquarters – she would later learn that the man was taken in by Lucas’ squad. The man was a well-respected lawyer and no one would ever know the truth of his disappearance. 

Lorene had been hesitant to use her gift but after learning what the man was responsible for, all reservations went out the window. 

The man was responsible for the deaths of 12 women and children and had more children hidden away in Merlin only knew what state. 

She tore through his mind without remorse and when she learned of the wards surrounding his lair she bound him tightly and escorted him there. 

A few whispered suggestions later and children were freed and the man was a vegetable. 

Hepta had told her the purpose of the Unspeakables. But it had finally sunken in when a combative squad of her workmates swooped in and collected the children. If it weren’t for them, the children would have never been found. It was there job to do what the Ministry wouldn’t. 

And later she had gently removed the memories of their time in the man’s clutches. 

That was the day she became Heather. 

When Voldemort returned – and regardless of how she felt about Dumbledore, neither she nor her colleagues believed it to be a ruse – and Death Eaters were broken out of Azkaban, her job had truly became exciting. 

There had been more Death Eaters in prison than what was listed in the Prophet and they took advantage of that. 

They had snatched the lower level members and sent them to Lorene for _reprogramming_ – she had long since adapted to her peers using muggle terminology. 

She would recreate them then make them forget until the memories were triggered. 

Iris called them sleepers and Lorene had found it appropriate. 

Lorene reveled in the power she controlled as naturally as breathing. The times Iris pulled her out to break for lunch, even if it was the middle of the night, and the few nights she could spend with Lucas had kept her sane. 

However, she lost all control the day Lucas’ squad ambushed and he was taken by a group of midlevel Death Eaters while protecting a fallen comrade. 

Much like he had been hers, she was listed as his next of kin and Hepta had been the one to give her the bad news. 

When she had entered Hepta’s office Iris was waiting within. 

_“They took him.”_

_“What do you plan to do about it?”_ was all Hepta asked. 

_“I am going to destroy them.”_ She had with a blank face and flat voice. 

No other words were exchanged and then, Hepta nodded. 

The pair left the office determined. Lorene to avenge her partner and Iris to protect the woman she called her best friend. 

They found them with far more ease than the Aurors would have – the Unspeakables had more resources than they could even dream to have. 

Their target was been a dilapidated two story – totally unoriginal – and was surrounded by half a dozen low to midlevel Death Eaters. Neither of those things had been a problem. The screaming however, was. 

She had known it was him. She could feel it. 

So, Lorene as Heather decimated the base on her way to the source. 

She found him tied to a chair slightly battered and bleeding from his nose and ears. 

He was unresponsive. 

The man who had been torturing him had cowered into the corner. 

She instantly recognized the damage. 

They had attempted what she had learned years ago. 

But they were unskilled and this unsuccessful. They had used brute force instead of the necessary finesse. 

They tried to enter his mind and they had _failed_. 

She undid his bounds and crouched before him. 

_“Lucas,_ ” she whispered. He let out a pained sound. 

_“Lucas, I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me?”_

He managed to lift his lids to half-mast and that was all she needed. Passing the battered shield of the stone wall outside the Room, she delved into his familiar mindscape molded after the Room of Convenience. The chairs were overturned, the table was broken, the books were scattered, and, most frighteningly, the fire was out. 

Lorene froze at the scene, but this was a mind she knew nearly as well as her own. So, she raised a hand and _breathed_. This is what she excelled at; this was the power she could wield even with her magic bound. 

And if she couldn’t use it to protect the one she loved, than what was the point? 

As the fire was kindled, his warmth returned to the Room they had spent so many hours in. 

When everything settled, she pulled herself from his mind. 

_“I trust you,” w_ as the last thing he said before slumping forward into her arms. 

Lorne and Iris were both in Saint Mungos when he awoke – though the latter respectfully stood guard outside the doors. 

_“Thank you.”_

She gave a wet laugh, _“I’m the only one allowed in your head.”_

_“How did you find me?”_

_“My boss gave me full use of our resources,”_ she answered honestly. 

_“Your boss, eh? What is it you do again?”_

_“That’s above your paygrade, Mr. Garcia,”_ she poked his forehead. 

He just smiled, _“You’ll tell me one day.”_

She gave a noncommittal sound. 

_“Who’s the lady outside?”_

_“You can come in.”_

Iris was a dark skinned metamorphmagus who usually had gold hair and white eyes – she had been ostracized as a child before she could control her abilities and made a point to look as off-putting as possible. Her parents hadn’t even allowed her to attend Hogwarts so she was stuck with the same kids in their private classes. 

Lorene watched Lucas’ look of curiosity morph into one of excitement. 

_“This is Iris, my work partner.”_

_“Iris, this is Lucas, my not work partner.”_

_“I’ve hear a lot about –“_

Lucas was practically vibrating in excitement. 

_“Are you a metamorphmagus?”_ he asked so quickly his words slurred. 

Iris actually looked taken aback. _“Is that a problem?”_

_“No! No, why would it be?”_

Iris blinked. 

_“I told you he wouldn’t mind, but someone didn’t believe me…”_

_“Why would I mind? You know how useful it would be to be able to transform yourself? It would be awesome!”_

_“Ha. Tell that to the Auror program…”_

_“You applied to the Academy? I didn’t know that,”_ Lorene frowned. 

_“The Ministry is only interested in “Light” witches and wizards.”_

She rolled her eyes, _“But metamorphy isn’t a Dark skill if anything its Grey.”_

_“Like the mind arts? No, they consider it a manipulation of the senses. Thus, it’s Dark.”_

_“That’s messed up. Someone with your skills would make an amazing undercover operative,”_ Lucas – the boy who should have been a Hufflepuff – interjected. 

_“Our boss was the first to recognize that and put me to work. But it’s all in the past now.”_

Lucas looked thoughtful, _“Your boss seems to see what others don’t.”_

_“Naw, she’s just good at salvaging hopeless cases,”_ Lorene deadpanned. 

Both her and Iris chuckled. 

_“No, I don’t believe that. She saved you from Azkaban and even offered you a job because she recognized that you had a talent that could be used for good.”_

_“How do you know we’re doing good?” Lorene_ asked dryly. 

His words were matter of fact, _“Because if you weren’t you wouldn’t be able to look me in the eye.”_

He was right but it meant something that it was said aloud. 

_“But,”_ he had continued, _“despite whatever you choose to believe, I will always be grateful and I will always feel indebted to your boss for what she did for you.”_

_“Oh, Merlin,”_ Iris was wide eyed, _“he’s just like you said. I didn’t believe you. I thought you were embellishing, but Merlin. He really is amazing,”_ she then looked down at where Lorene sat next to his bed. _“Sorry I doubted you.”_

_“She talks about me?”_ Lucas grinned. 

_“All the time. I thought she was pining after you and then I thought you were together because of the next of kin thing. But it’s not like that, is it?”_

He shook his head, _“She’s the other half of my soul and I love her with all my heart. But, no, it’s not like that.”_

It was then that the Healer stuck her head through the door and cleared her throat, _“If Mr. Garcia is awake, he is free to leave.”_

On the way out, Lorene motioned for Iris to go on as she pulled Lucas into a corner and cast a privacy ward. 

_“What’s all the secrecy for?”_

_“You can’t tell anyone anything about what happened when you were taken. Not even the mission beforehand.”_

_“What? Why not? My squad is bound to ask questions.”_

She looked to the side and bit her lip. 

_“They won’t. It’s all gone. The paperwork has vanished and anyone in the know has forgotten. You were only allowed to remember because of your association with me.”_

_“Can you at least tell me why?”_

_“It’s basic protocol. Anyone who sees us work either disappears or forgets.”_

_“But my squad didn’t see you,”_ it was voiced as a question. 

_“But how were you rescued? How did we find you? No, it was easier to make the entire mission disappear.”_

_“How was that easier?”_ his words weren’t spoken in anger but in confusion – she had always wondered if he could get truly angry with her like she knew she couldn’t do with him. 

_“Well, we have people in the Ministry and… we have me.”_

_“Are you an Obliviator? No, you implied you didn’t work for the Ministry,”_ he stared down at her. _“Can you at least tell me what you do if not who you work for?”_

She shook her head but spoke anyway, _“Who I work for… We do what the Ministry won’t. My current project is taking captured low to midlevel Death Eaters and turning them into sleepers.”_

_“You mean…”_

_“We’re trying to take them down from the inside.”_

There was a pause and she closed her eyes not wanting to chance seeing disgust in his eyes, but instead, he wrapped his arms around her tightly. 

_“I always believed your skills were being wasted as an Obliviator, but this, this is so much better. I am so proud of you.”_

Even after all the years she had known him, she should have been able to accurately gauge his reactions – and she usually could – but she had wanted his approval so badly she feared what would happen if he rejected her. Because she knew she would quit, if he said the word or even if she read it on his face, she would quit her job in a heartbeat. But, her work was her life and she adored it – what would she be if she quit? She had always known the answer, there would be a repeat of her Seventh year and this time there would be no keeping her from Azkaban especially during war time. 

_“I just told you I rewrite people’s minds and you say you’re proud?”_

He put her at arm’s length and looked her in the eye, _“I always knew someone else would recognize your talent for what it is and now I know they have. Not only are you able to work at your full potential, you’re happy.”_

_“What kind of person am I? I’m_ violating _people and I’m happy. That’s not normal!”_

_“Why wouldn’t you be happy?”_

_“What?”_

_“You’re doing something your good at and it’s not like you would ever harm innocents.”_

Some part of her was unsure of her character and that part of her craved validation. To know that, yes, what she’s doing was okay. That yes, she wasn’t an evil person. 

She hadn’t even been consciously aware of it and when faced with it she didn’t know what to do. 

So, Lucas canceled the privacy ward and took her home. 

Not to their apartment – though that was also home – but to the house where everything began. He had taken her to the Garcia home. 

Mama made coffee and they all squished onto the couch. The family, her family, was warmer than the mug in her hands. 

It was three years later that the Millineum Bridge collapsed and the Unspeakables were sent out for damage control thus leading to her current predicament. 

**……….**

She understood why she was sent on the streets instead of ripping apart Death Eater’s minds for information that would work against the Dark Lord. 

She was the only one who could influence so many minds at once. She knew she was at her most useful where she was. Her real problem was the sheer amount of people surrounding her. 

The aurors believed her to be a simple Obliviator – which served her purposes – but even then, there was absolutely no need for them to pop in without notice. For one, they stuck out like a sore thumb in their pretentious ruby robes – and adding more work to her load – and for two they all kept asking the same thing: “Have you seen Undesirable No.1?” 

Merlin, she was sick of it. 

And she had long since decided that if she saw him she would pretend he didn’t exist. She knew for a fact that he hadn’t actually done anything warranting his status. One could also argue that it was also because he was a kid, but she had no such reservations. When she was his age she was a Master of the mind arts and had nearly gotten herself thrown in Azkaban. 

Continuing to lament her plight as she corrected the damage done by the latest swarm of Aurors, she was surprised by a pair of arms resting over her shoulders on of which held a thermos. 

“I could have seriously hurt you just now,” she deadpanned as she turned around to face a muggle dressed Lucas – he really had matured nicely, she thought. His chest and face had filled out and his dark hair was long and wavy. He really was nice to look at and add that to his caregiver personality, she figured he would make a good spouse if he was inclined to romance. 

“No, you couldn’t have. You’ve never counted me as a threat,” he handed over the thermos. “Besides, why would you attack someone with this?” 

She flipped the cap and could have moaned at the smell alone. 

“You’re wonderful, you know that?” 

“It certainly wouldn’t hurt to hear it more often,” he gave a cheeky grin and pulled her to sit at a table outside a nearby café. 

“How is everyone?” She hadn’t stopped to see Mama and Madre at the safe house in nearly two weeks. 

“Everyone is safe and as content as the situation allows.” 

She hummed and took a sip of the coffee in the thermos. 

“How’s work?” she asked. 

“The Minister still has us looking for Potter,” he rolled his eyes. It was ridiculous and he and his team were ridiculously over qualified for simple bounty hunting. “So, I gave them the week off.” 

She chuckled and looked at him fondly. 

“So, how’s it going out here?” 

She looked him dead in the eye – an action that would terrify most. 

“There are a lot of gas leaks in London.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to know anything about my oc's send me a message on here or on my [tumblr](http://darkstreet-nostalgia.tumblr.com/)


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